Consequence
by Dustbunny3
Summary: One-shot. Gen. She begged him not do anything stupid. He always has been stubborn.


Disclaimer: I'm not saying it. Let the lawyers get her.

A/N: I wrestled with the idea of multi-chaptering this, but… no, sorry. I don't trust myself to continue it. I'll wind up twisting it into some tragic soap opera crap. Sorry again, but I love it as a one-shot.

.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

He cut quickly through the black night, afraid to slow down. His breath came out in shallow gasps and his heart drummed wildly, setting the cadence by which his sneakers pounded the pavement. Honey brown eyes were wild with terror. No one had seen him do it; nobody had been around to. But now he was surrounded, houses were all around him. Anyone inside could peer out and they would know. How could they not? He was covered with the warm red evidence of his crime. The sticky mess might never come out of his white t-shirt.

Jounouchi's initial impulse was to get home as fast as possible and clean himself of the disgusting truth. But there were eyes everywhere, watching him, waiting for him to drop his guard. The moment he thought he was safe in his own house they would be upon him. He could see it now, shadows swooping down on him, dragging him off for persecution. Besides, Shizuka was visiting over. Suppose they went to his house and picked her up as an accomplice.

"Shizuka!" he realized out loud, eyes somehow getting wider. What would she think when she found out what her beloved big brother had done?

What would any of them say? They would be upset, no doubt, maybe even disappointed. But would they understand? Would they realize that it had all been a mistake and help him? Above all else he needed to know how he stood with them. Oh, but how he wanted to hide it from them! They would know soon enough, anyway; the eyes were still watching him. He had to get away! But how? For now he could only run.

A dog howled in the distance, trying to give away his position to his unseen pursuers. The chain link fence that had offered its assistance in his escape rattled and clanged betrayal. Everyone, everything was out to get him. And why not after what he had done? No matter the nobility of his intensions, was the right for his capture not reserved by society?

Finally, he had to rest. It could certainly not be for long, however. The teen realized this fully as he stopped and gasped in ragged breaths of bitter cold night air, hands on knees. It was not until doing so that he took note of the red-tainted silver still clutched in his fist. So harmless, the object looked, but for the wicked glint by the street lamp.

Looking up, Jounouchi spotted something he had missed before. A beaten up pay phone stood not ten feet away. The worn plastic of the receiver called to him, invited him to put it to use. But what if it betrayed him as the fence had? It would be difficult to keep watch when using the phone. But it was what he needed, a way to contact the others. They would help him, he was sure. But whom should he call?

Not Shizuka, he was far from ready to let her know. Honda would help, give him a place to stay, but that was a bad choice too. The brunette boy would freak out and go off on him. Jounouchi's nerves were shot enough as it was. Yugi would be easier on him- too much easier. What Jounouchi needed was someone to listen and understand but the thought of facing Yugi's gentle, understanding eyes and soft voice was too much. Not Mai, Ryou or Otogi were in town. The only other option was Anzu. Yes, she was the best choice anyway, a combination of the understanding he would get from Yugi and the chewing out he would get from Honda. Besides, it had been done for her; she had the most right to know. He dropped some coins into the phone and dialed Anzu's number.

The phone rang again and again. Jounouchi's eyes shifted with paranoia. What if the phone was bugged? Surely They sat tight, listening intently for his confession. No, he would not tell her exactly. Instead he would leave a message she would understand and let her know he was alright. But what a lie that would be. They were watching, listening, ready to jump out at any moment. Sounds of the night amplified, hiding the sound of their approach. The ringing of the phone exploded repeatedly in his ear, taunting him. It knew that he was waiting desperately for an answer, that as long as the ringing went on he would not get one. Good Lord, what was keeping her?

At last, the ringing subsided. The angry, tried voice of a girl assaulted his ear, growling out, "Whoever this is had better have one hell of an excuse for-"

"Anzu?" his voice came out as a timid, broken whisper.

"Jounouchi?" her tone seemed surprised and worried. All the anger dissipated from her voice, as it was prone to when a friend was in need of help. "Jounouchi, what's wrong?"

He tried to force a reply past his lips but it was in vain. She sounded so ready to understand, to help however she could. What would she sound like if she knew? Jounouchi wondered if he would have been better off calling Honda, whose voice would surely have held its irritation close by. At the other end of the line Anzu was begging him to speak to her, to tell her what was wrong and what she needed to do to help him. But the request was impossible to meet, even more so now that he was starting to remember. It had not occurred to him until hearing the plea in her voice that the scene began to reform in his mind. It all came back now…

"_That bastard is gonna pay big!" Jounouchi fumed as he stood with his three best friends in the schoolyard._

_As was usual his blue uniform was rumpled and his dirty-blonde hair was a mess. Both hands were clenched into fists. His teeth ground and his eyes narrowed, flashing with anger. Honda stood nearby in a similar fashion though his brown hair was combed neatly. Yugi looked just as angry as the taller boys though not so ready to fight. Anzu looked angry as well but shriveled a noticeable bit with embarrassment and betrayal._

"_Calm down," she told them, her voice soft but demanding not to be argued with._

_Honda argued anyway. "'Calm down?' All the shit that guy has been spreading and you're defending him?"_

"_I'm not defending anybody," Anzu turned a fierce glare on the tall boy. "It's not going to do any good for him to tell the truth looking like a bloody pulp."_

"_But he" Jounouchi started to agree with Honda._

"_No 'but's'" she said firmly, ending the discussion. "This whole thing is going to blow over and that will be that." She ducked her head but failed to hide the sorrow from her voice. "I don't want you guys any more involved in this trash than you are." Her shoulders dropped and her eyes lowered to the ground. She sounded like she might cry._

_The boys got closer to comfort her and Jounouchi extended an arm for a half-hug. It hurt him to see his friend, usually so fiery and spirited, in such a vulnerable state. The blonde had heard the whispers that caused this, had seen the accusing stares. The whole thing was so wrong; how could anyone play into it?_

"_At it again?" came a superior toned voice from behind them. They all turned to see a sneering Brent Lee with a voluptuous blonde on one arm._

_Jounouchi and Honda immediately stepped forth, emitting predatory growls. Yugi stood just behind them, glaring. Anzu, wearing a scowl of her own, was just between the taller boys, a hand on each arm. Her cold eyes moved from Brent to the blonde as if uncertain who they should settle on. They finally rested on Brent. A loose crowd formed and whispers started up. Brent's sneer never disappeared. In fact, it deepened at their reactions, especially Anzu's._

"_Go climb back under the rock you came from," Honda snarled, not attacking then and there for Anzu's sake._

"_If they'll let you back under," added Jounouchi._

_Brent's sneer grew. Finally, he spoke, "I'm surprised you don't care enough about your rep to ditch that trash."_

_The two ex-gangsters stiffened and ground their teeth, Yugi snarled and Anzu's enraged gaze intensified. Her legs muscles bunched up, as if she might jump him herself. If he refused to back down she just might._

"_But then I'm not as surprised as that you let her hang out with your sister, Jounouchi," Bruce continued and Jounouchi stiffened. Then Brent closed his eyes and shrugged "But then, who knows. Maybe-" and he got no further._

_Jounouchi lunged with Honda close behind. Brent jumped back just fast enough to keep from being flattened. Yugi stood close by, lest he be needed. Anzu was trying to get between the three fighting boys and kept ordering for them to stop. Brent's bimbo screeched horridly and ran about like a decapitated chicken. The loose ring that had formed closed in and chanted._

"_Teacher!" someone yelled a warning._

_Sure enough, Mr. Yamaguchi rushed over to stop the scuffle. With Anzu's begging it was a matter of minutes before the three were separated. Two more teachers arrived on the scene and, after an extent of yelling, lecturing and glaring, the bruised and bloodied boys were given the high sign to get up to the office- immediately._

_All three went grumbling and Brent's bottle blonde glared at Anzu before stalking over to a group of preppy girls wearing as much make-up as she and speaking to them in a hushed voice. The whole gaggle cast Anzu dirty looks before walking off in a huff. Anzu released a breath and ran a hand through her hair. She then hurried to catch Jounouchi before he entered the building. The blonde turned to acknowledge her and saw her intentions through her eyes._

_It was a bit irking, really. She had failed to bother with stopping Honda despite the fact that he had been involved in the fight as well. But then that was to be expected. Honda's temper paled in comparison to his. The brunette was more prone to follow Jounouchi's instruction in such matters. Halting him would be of little reason and a waste of time and energy._

"_Jounouchi, please," Anzu begged, her eyes moist and sincerely upset. "Whatever you do, just please don't do anything stupid."_

_A muttered "whatever" and he disappeared into the building and out of her sight._

"Katsuya Jounouchi!" called a voice full of irritated concern, snapping him back to the present. "Jounouchi, please talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Anzu," he repeated, his voice full of anxiety, eye fixated on the red drops that dripped from the object still enclosed in his hand.

"Yes? What is it? Jounouchi, please, you're scaring me!" she was almost crying.

"I did something stupid," he spoke at last, eyes still transfixed. "I did something really stupid."

With that, ignoring the confused questions that poured through the earpiece, he hung up and hurried back into the night. Too much time had been wasted. They would get him if he tarried any longer. The body could catch up to him by now. And so he took again to running, leaving a sketchy trail of telltale crimson behind him.

.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.

So, there's that. If you noticed any mistakes, please review or email me and let me know so I can correct them. If you review, please include your favorite and least favorite aspect of the story. If you flame, please do it literately so I know what I'm laughing at.


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